[SOLVED] Fan header and new mobo question

[TobinUK]

Recently i upgraded my case to a Corsair 4000D airflow and bought an additional fan thinking my mobo supported another fan (should have checked). Turns out i didnt and friend suggested getting a Y splitter and all will be fine. So the additional fan i added to the bottom on the front panel paired with the middle one of 3 in total with thinking as its right new bottom blowing on spare cables left used and and into PSU shroud. So the fans im using are 6x LL120 Corsair fans in total, 1 blowing out back (on rad 120mm rad H60), 2 blowing out through the top and sucking x3 in front panel. The fans operating voltage according to corsair website are 7V - 13.2V and Power Draw 0.3a. The mobo im using right now is the MSI Z270 Gaming Plus. I just wanted to make sure if this was safe to carry on with the splitter im using while the RGB part is plugged into the LED hub as they should be.
Now the thing is i have just purchased a 5600x and changing the mobo to which i think i was going to go for the ASUS B550-f Strix, now if im seeing right that i may also be down another further fan header? Is it safe to do another Y splitter or bite the bullet and buy Corsair Commander Pro as i also have LED strips in my build.
So to sum it up is it safe with current system to carry on and also with upgrade to do same again with splitter? Hope this comes across ok and understandable in what im trying to say?

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

there shouldn't be an issue with splitting from 1 > 2 on a single fan header.
the only problem i've ever faced with this type of setup was lack of PWM control. but i think that was due to it being a cheap splitter.
if you still can set a custom PWM curve to that fan port and both fans seem to follow it, i would go for it.

that Commander Pro seems a bit expensive for just a fan\RGB hub.

 

[TobinUK]

Being a corsair item i guess you pay the price for it Was worried im doing damage to current mobo and last thing i wanted to do was get a new mobo and have problems in the future

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

Being a corsair item i guess you pay the price for it

i had a Corsair hub that came with a set of SP120 RGB LED High Performance fans i was reviewing.
the hub blew out and killed all 3 fans attached.
though they may charge quite a bit more than some, they don't always produce the best hardware.

Was worried im doing damage to current mobo and last thing i wanted to do was get a new mobo and have problems in the future

i would just look for a splitter with a large amount of high customer review ratings.
see if anyone mentions any problems they experienced. if not, i'd trust it.

 

[TobinUK]

i would just look for a splitter with a large amount of high customer review ratings.
see if anyone mentions any problems they experienced. if not, i'd trust it.

I have one now and seems fine and had decent reviews. How do i test to see if the PWM are working fine as they should? I used smart mode tuning on MSI software, i assumed it would just work the same on both fans right or would they both spin at different RPMs for example? Sorry im not clued up on fans

 

[Paperdoc]

So we're addressing six Corsair LL120 RGB fans connecting to the ASUS B550-f Strix mobo. Right? And as you say, the issue is only the MOTOR connections here - the LIGHTING cables are taken care of separately.

The important limit is the the mobo has 3 CHA_FAN headers to use, and each of them can supply up to 1.0 A max current to its load. Further, as you say, the Corsair fans are rated at max 0.30 A per fan motor. So it is entirely OK to connect TWO of those fans to EACH of the three headers. In fact, THREE such fans on each of two headers is still OK. Example SPLITTERS

https://www.amazon.com/JBtek-Black-...1&keywords=fan+splitter&qid=1614309074&sr=8-3

that's a 2-pack, so buy two sets and have one spare. Or,

https://www.amazon.com/Splitter-Com...1&keywords=fan+splitter&qid=1614309191&sr=8-4

That's a 2-pack of Splitters with THREE outputs each.

All the fans are of the 4-pin PWM design, and so are these Splitters. In BIOS Setup for that mobo, find the screen to configure EACH of those CHA_FAN headers. For each, ensure their MODE is set to PWM Mode, not DC or Auto. IF there is any choice of temperature sensor to use for it, choose the one on the mobo, not the one inside the CPU chip. After setting all three headers, remember to use the Exit Menu to SAVE and EXIT.

 

[TobinUK]

So we're addressing six Corsair LL120 RGB fans connecting to the ASUS B550-f Strix mobo. Right? And as you say, the issue is only the MOTOR connections here - the LIGHTING cables are taken care of separately.

The important limit is the the mobo has 3 CHA_FAN headers to use, and each of them can supply up to 1.0 A max current to its load. Further, as you say, the Corsair fans are rated at max 0.30 A per fan motor. So it is entirely OK to connect TWO of those fans to EACH of the three headers. In fact, THREE such fans on each of two headers is still OK. Example SPLITTERS

https://www.amazon.com/JBtek-Black-...1&keywords=fan+splitter&qid=1614309074&sr=8-3

that's a 2-pack, so buy two sets and have one spare. Or,

https://www.amazon.com/Splitter-Com...1&keywords=fan+splitter&qid=1614309191&sr=8-4

That's a 2-pack of Splitters with THREE outputs each.

All the fans are of the 4-pin PWM design, and so are these Splitters. In BIOS Setup for that mobo, find the screen to configure EACH of those CHA_FAN headers. For each, ensure their MODE is set to PWM Mode, not DC or Auto. IF there is any choice of temperature sensor to use for it, choose the one on the mobo, not the one inside the CPU chip. After setting all three headers, remember to use the Exit Menu to SAVE and EXIT.

Ok awesome and thanks for help so far. So im guessing in my case it would be best to maybe use cpu header, 2x headers for top 2 fans and then the last header to control all 3 fans on the front sucking in air using 3 way splitter? Also is it bad to under power volt or amp on a header and make them spin slower for example? Also im guessing that the fans connected to same splitter will run same RPM when tuned?

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

Also is it bad to under power volt or amp on a header and make them spin slower for example? Also im guessing that the fans connected to same splitter will run same RPM when tuned?

there's no reason to attempt controlling fan speeds via power modifications.
them being attached to a PWM header the fan speeds are fully controllable by setting your own custom fan speed\curve, whether by motherboard control software or the BIOS.
the control software should show current fan's speed relative to each fan header, so you can check if they are following your curve.

So im guessing in my case it would be best to maybe use cpu header, 2x headers for top 2 fans and then the last header to control all 3 fans on the front sucking in air using 3 way splitter?

the CPU header should be used for your CPU cooler.
others; just use whichever is closest to each fan(or fan cable splitter). will lead to easier cable routing.